Transitioning your Medical and Mental Health Care
If you have a health condition that requires continued medical care we recommend that you speak to your primary care clinician or specialist prior to coming to Stanford in order to plan your transition of care to the university setting.
Transition of Care
If your medical condition has specific treatment recommendations from your current provider, we recommend that you request a Transition of Care Summary from your current clinician. This document should include:
- Your diagnosis with ICD-10 code
- Your current status
- A brief history of treatments including those which failed
- Recommendations for care while at Stanford (including medical management and diagnostic tests)
If you are not already independently managing your health care, it is important to plan this transition in advance. The good news is that there is support for you at Vaden Health Center and Stanford Health Care. Below is a list of conditions with specific tips on how to transition to the university setting. If your condition does not appear on this list, the continuity of care nurse, Karen Pendley, RN, and Megan Gershon, RN, are available to assist you to plan the management of your health. You may send a message to them through the Vaden Patient Portal or contact them at 650.725.0984.
View transition tips, by condition below
Asthma
Universities present lifestyle challenges due to distance from families and familiar medical care (even if only a few miles), changes in physical activity level, dining in a cafeteria, exposure to alcohol, and changes in friends and relationships. You may have considered many of these factors already, but if you have not you may begin to think about how these will affect your asthma management. There may be additional challenges with managing your asthma and your busy schedule.
Concussion
Universities present lifestyle challenges due to distance from families and familiar medical care (even if only a few miles), changes in physical activity level, changes in competitive level of team and intramural sports, dining in a cafeteria, exposure to alcohol, and changes in friends and relationships. You may have considered many of these factors already, but if you have not you may begin to think about how these will affect your post-concussion condition. There may be additional challenges with managing your busy schedule.
Diabetes
Universities present lifestyle challenges due to distance from families and familiar medical care (even if only a few miles), changes in physical activity level, dining in a cafeteria, exposure to alcohol, and changes in friends and relationships. You may have considered many of these factors already, but if you have not you may begin to think about how these will affect your diabetes management. There may be additional challenges with managing your diabetes and your busy schedule.
Eating Disorders
Universities present lifestyle challenges due distance from families and familiar medical care (even if only a few miles), changes in physical activity level, dining in a cafeteria, exposure to alcohol, and changes in friends and relationships. You may have considered many of these factors already, but if you have not you may begin to think about how these will affect your health. There may be additional challenges with managing your diet and activity level with your busy schedule.
Environmental Allergies/Hay Fever Management
Universities present lifestyle challenges due to being located away from families and family medical teams (even if only a few miles), changes in physical environment and exposure to different plant pollens, cafeteria dining, exposure to alcohol, change in pace of activities and stressors. You may have considered many of these factors already, but if you have not you may begin to think about how these will affect the management of your allergies.
Food Allergies
Universities present lifestyle challenges due to being located away from families and family medical teams (even if only a few miles), cafeteria dining, exposure to alcohol, change in pace of activities and stressors. You may have considered many of these factors already, but if you have not you may begin to think about how these will affect the management of your allergies.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Universities present lifestyle challenges due to distance from families and familiar medical care (even if only a few miles), changes in physical activity level, dining in a cafeteria, exposure to alcohol, and changes in friends and relationships. You may have considered many of these factors already, but if you have not you may begin to think about how these will affect the management of your IBD. There may be additional challenges with managing your IBD and your busy schedule.
Mental Health Issues
Transition to University life presents lifestyle challenges. The University is located away from family and from your usual health care teams (even if only by a few miles). New schedules and study demands lead to changes in physical activity level and sleep patterns. There are changes in dietary patterns as you get used to campus food choices, and there is exposure to alcohol and other substances. There are big changes in your social environment, and new experiences in friendships and relationships, during this period of transition. We encourage you to think about how these changes may affect how you manage your health and well-being, and to consider what supports may be helpful to you as you settle in at Stanford.
Mobility Issues or Wheelchair Use
Prior to your arrival on campus (if you have not already done so) we suggest that you contact the Office of Accessible Education. A representative will be able to work with you with accommodations and help you plan for ways to successfully navigate in a large university setting.
